Best GPS device for your car

Updated on October 25, 2014

Automotive GPS

Most of the car GPS units on the market will work well to get you where you want to go, what you need to do to decide which one is best for you is decide how much you are willing to spend for the bells and whistles that are offered. The more it does, the more it costs. The basic car GPS system will get you where your going without any problems, while driving. If you want to use the unit for other things like fishing, hunting, hiking or biking, you may want to think about getting more than 1 GPS, or get a handheld that will also work for a car GPS. The hand held units are much better at recreational activities, the car GPS units are much better at driving directions.

My experience

I just this past year got one for myself, I settled on the Garmin brand after reading all the reviews and customer reviews. They are pretty cool to have and can save you time and lots of frustration when you are going somewhere.

One of the things that is kinda bothersome is, if you are going somewhere, but you are taking a side trip before you actually start heading to your destination, don't set it into the gps. It will constantly update and try and get you on track. This is a good thing if you make a wrong turn, not so good if you know where you're going and it's not the right way.

Good basic units

A top rated low price car GPS unit that does a good job is the Garmin Nuvi 1300. You can get this GPS for under $90 at Amazon. It comes with a 4.3 inch screen and maps of the U.S, Canada. This Garmin system also has 6.5 million points of interest in the system that can be searched for what your looking for. The unit also has voice turn by turn directions so you don't have to watch the screen while driving. Traffic updates can be added at additional cost.

Magellan roadmate

Another great low cost car GPS unit is the Magellan Roadmate 3030, this unit can be purchased for less than $80 if you get a factory refub unit. This GPS has a 4.7 inch wide screen, with voice turn by turn. Maps of U.S. and Canada are preloaded along with 0ver 6 million points of interest. It also comes with AAA tourbook and live traffic reports are available on this unit as well.

Tomtom

The highest rated low price Tomtom car GPS unit is the xl350. This unit has a 4.3 inch wide screen with maps pre-installed along with points of interest. This unit can also be purchased as a factory refurb unit for around $80. The Tomtom GPS also has voice turn by turn.

Tom Tom gps

High end units

If you want all the bells and whistles on your GPS, one of the top rated units is the Motorola Motonav TN 765t. This GPS unit sells for around $250. This unit has a nice 5.1 inch wide touch screen. It can sync with your mobil phone to make hands free calls from you phone contact list. You can search for numbers with voice command and then place the call. It come with streaming traffic reports, weather reports and can search Google local for whatever your looking for in a particular area.

Garmin Nuvi | Source

High end Garmin

The top of the line Garmin GPS in the Nuvi 1690. You can get this unit for around $280. This unit is a bit smaller with a 4.3 inch screen. Maps are pre-loaded as well as points of interest. Can sync to your cell phone for hands free calling and Google local search to find what your looking for.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are a wide range of features that you can get when buying a GPS unit for you car. You need to decide what you want to be able to do with the unit and how much you want to spend on it. These 5 car GPS units are only a few of what is available but these are the top 5 rated and will all get you where you want to go without getting lost.